Tag: Matt Fitzpatrick

Max Homa’s course record, FitzMagic needed for Atlanta and more from BMW Championship

Catch up on Friday’s action here.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – At the 2020 BMW Championship, Max Homa failed to make 10 birdies at Olympia Fields for the week and said of the course, “it kicked my butt.”

On Friday, Homa kicked butt. In the second round alone, he carded 10 birdies, a career high on Tour, en route to a course-record 8-under 62.

“I knew I was making a lot,” Homa said. “I heard the standard bearer say something about how he’s getting tired because he had to change the numbers on our (scoreboard) so much because Pat (Cantlay) was making a lot, too. It was just a crazy day.”

Crazy good. His 36-hole total of 10-under 130 was good enough for a two-stroke lead over Chris Kirk. His sizzling 62 on a sunny day when the temperature barely reached 80 degrees, was two strokes better than Jon Rahm’s 64 at the 2020 BMW and one better than Vijay Singh (2003 U.S. Open), Rickie Fowler (2007 Fighting Illini Invitational) and Thomas Detry at the same event eight years later. Homa said he was aware of the course record because he noticed an electronic scoreboard that noted that Kirk was challenging the mark. He settled for 66, but the messaging put the seed in Homa’s head.

“Then I had to think about it,” he said.

Homa hit 16 of 18 greens and made 135 feet of putts – his 4.32 Strokes Gained: Putting led the field and was a season best. But it was actually his driving that he singled out as the secret for his successful day.

“I felt like I was able to attack kind of all day. Obviously the greens are still really soft, so being in the fairway as often as I was, it felt like I was able to be aggressive when I wanted to, and if I didn’t, I could just play to the middle of the green,” he said. “I think that out here when you’re in the fairway, it becomes significantly easier, more so than other golf courses.”

Homa’s also thinking about securing a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team as well as making a good impression on U.S. captain Zach Johnson in case he needs a pick – the top six in the standings automatically qualify and Homa enters the week ranked sixth.

“I told Zach last year I was kissing up to him, but then he also said, ‘Well, I’d like to not have to pick you,’ and I said. ‘All right, there’s my promise, I’ll try to get an automatic.’ That would be really cool. That’s been kind of my goal since these Playoffs started, to get into that top six.”

Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose move up in 2023 FedEx Cup projected standings

Here’s a closer look at those golfers moving up, and those moving down, in the projected standings.

After 36 holes at Olympia Fields’ North Course near Chicago, time is running out for those angling to make the Tour Championship.

The BMW Championship is the second of three FedEx Cup Playoffs events but only the top 30 golfers will move on to East Lake Golf Club for the season finale. There are bragging rights when you make it to Atlanta but there’s also a whopping $18 million first-place prize at stake.

For each golfer who moves into the top 30, there has to be one falling out. Looking at the PGA Tour’s projected FedEx Cup standings after two rounds at the BMW, there are two of each.

7 Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick photos of the golfing brothers over the years

A look back at the golf star siblings over the years.

Matt Fitzpatrick isn’t the only member of his family who is really, really good at golf.

The winner of the 2022 U.S. Open has his brother, Alex Fitzpatrick, who played really well at the 2023 Open Championship. And they teamed up together to play at the 2023 Zurich Classic, where Matt described how different they are from each other.

“I’m organized, he’s unorganized. He’s happy, I’m miserable,” Matt said, via Golfweek. “Yeah, that’s probably a good way to put it really.”

The Open Championship: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

Let’s look back at some great photos of the pair of siblings over the years:

Spieth, Cantlay lead list of notables to miss cut at Genesis Scottish Open

These big names are packing their bags early.

[anyclip pubname=”2122″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8171″]

While names such as Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Tom Kim, Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa and Rickie Fowler are residing at or near the top of the leaderboard at the Genesis Scottish Open, there are several big names leaving The Renaissance Club early this week.

Adam Scott, for example, opened with a 2-over 72 on Thursday and dug himself too big of a hole. A second-round 3-under 67 wasn’t enough, and the Aussie is headed to Royal Liverpool a few days early.

Seventy-seven players made the weekend, with the cut coming in at 2-under 138.

Here are seven big-name players who missed the weekend at the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open.

Scottish Open: Leaderboard | Photos

[pickup_prop id=”34186″]

2023 Genesis Scottish Open odds, course history and picks to win

Last year at the Renaissance, Fleetwood tied for fourth.

Before the world of golf heads to Royal Liverpool for the 151st Open next week, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour are set to host the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick.

An absolutely loaded field is set to tee off Thursday, including defending champion Xander Schauffele. He’ll be joined by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Patrick Cantlay.

Schauffele, who last tied for 19th at the Travelers Championship, beat Kurt Kitayama by one shot last season to earn himself the title. In 2021, Min Woo Lee survived a playoff against Thomas Detry and Matt Fitzpatrick for his second DP World Tour win.

Golf course

Renaissance Golf Club | Par 70 | 7,237 yards

2022 Genesis Scottish Open
General view of the 11th during Day Two of the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on July 08, 2022 in North Berwick, Scotland. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Course history

Betting preview

LACC turns ‘diabolical’ and players complain ‘it’s not my cup of tea’ at the 2023 U.S. Open

“Some of the tee shots are just – I think they’re a little bit unfair.”

[connatix div_id=”3f8b015acdd24c648befc5d5dac47469″ player_id=”b5b22055-8c69-4186-8375-d8426b37ec56″ cid=”7cbcea0d-4ce2-4c75-9a8d-fbe02a192c24″]

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Open turned nasty on Saturday.

Two days after Los Angeles Country Club endured a birdie barrage under soft conditions, including not one but two record-breaking 62s in less than 30 minutes, LACC showed its teeth, and it may end up having the last laugh.

“It’s just diabolical,” Bryson DeChambeau said. “It’s a completely different test of golf than a normal U.S. Open.”

The sun popped out Saturday morning, drying the greens and making the course play fast and firm the way it was designed to be. The field scoring average was still a modest 71.850, slightly easier than round two’s 72.230.

“It’s gotten to where it’s links style,” DeChambeau said. “That’s the best way I can describe it. I feel like I’m playing a British Open now in a sense.”

LACC began to bite back on Friday, most notably with Dustin Johnson making a quadruple-bogey eight on the second hole and Justin Thomas shooting 81. You knew the U.S. Open was messing with minds when Brooks Koepka said that he didn’t like the course that much, singling out the blind shots.

U.S. OPEN: Leaderboard | How to watch | Sunday tee times

The chorus of complaints for LACC grew on Saturday with Viktor Hovland saying, “You know what, I’m not a big fan of this golf course, to be honest. I think there’s some good holes. I don’t think there’s any great holes. I think there’s a few bad holes. I think No. 9 is probably the best hole out here in my opinion.”

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3413″ ]

Hovland wasn’t the only one to share their distaste for the George Thomas Jr. design from the 1920s, which received a renovation in 2010 from Gil Hanse, his partner Jim Wagner and architecture critic and golf blogger Geoff Shackelford.

“I just think the golf course is interesting, to be polite, I think. There’s just too many holes for me where you’ve got blind tee shots and then you’ve got fairways that don’t hold the ball. There’s too much slope,” Matt Fitzpatrick, the defending U.S. Open champion said. “I think the greens certainly play better when they’re firmer. I definitely think that’s the case. They’re rolling really, really well. Some of the tee shots are just – I think they’re a little bit unfair. You hit a good tee shot and end up in the rough by a foot and then you’re hacking it out. Meanwhile, someone has hit it miles offline the other way and they’ve got a shot. Yeah, not my cup of tea.”

Speaking on Friday, Rory McIlroy, took a different stance:

“Yes, the course has played maybe a little easier than everyone thought it would, but wouldn’t be surprised on Saturday/Sunday to see it bite back, which going back to your question I feel is what a U.S. Open is all about. It should be tough. It should be just as much of a mental grind out there as a physical one.”

In the final analysis, LACC has identified a stacked leaderboard and exposed any weaknesses in a player’s game. A U.S. Open without players complaining would be like a June without weddings.

[pickup_prop id=”33991″]

Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.

Rickie Fowler leads the way, first-time major winners in contention, the course strikes back and more from Friday at the 2023 U.S. Open

Here’s what you missed from a busy second round on Friday at the 2023 U.S. Open.

[mm-video type=video id=01h340pj5q73q0v9rz21 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01h340pj5q73q0v9rz21/01h340pj5q73q0v9rz21-b3270c5ebd926cfc3e04c9d0b5eefad0.jpg]

LOS ANGELES — When co-leader Rickie Fowler birdied his opening three holes on Friday, it seemed as if we were in for another getable day at the 2023 U.S. Open.

But during the afternoon at Los Angeles Country Club, the sun came out, the winds picked up and brought the scores with it. On Thursday, 55 players were even par or better. That number dropped to 41 on Friday, with an average score of 72.22, 0.84 more than Thursday’s record low of 71.38.

A handful of would-be first-time major champs are near the top of the leaderboard after 36 holes in Beverly Hills. Fowler strung together another solid round at 2-under 68 and sits alone in the lead at 10 under, one shot clear of Wyndham Clark (67). Sitting T-3 at 8 under are Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, with Harris English rounding out the top five at 7 under.

From Fowler’s peaks and valleys round to a lacking atmosphere and notable names on their way home, here’s what you missed from a busy Friday at the 2023 U.S. Open.

[pickup_prop id=”33968″]

Two rounds, three aces: Matthew Fitzpatrick makes the third hole-in-one of the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club

The defending champion sent fans into a frenzy on Friday with his first career ace as a professional.

[connatix div_id=”3f8b015acdd24c648befc5d5dac47469″ player_id=”b5b22055-8c69-4186-8375-d8426b37ec56″ cid=”7cbcea0d-4ce2-4c75-9a8d-fbe02a192c24″]

LOS ANGELES — Aces are running wild here at the 2023 U.S. Open.

In the early stages of Friday’s second round, defending champion Matthew Fitzpatrick made the third ace of the week – and the first of his professional career – on the par-3 15th. Fitzpatrick had a delayed reaction to his ace because players can’t see the hole from the tee box, and not many fans can get near the green on No. 15 at Los Angeles Country Club.”

“Yeah, I wish it would have been louder. I wish it was a few more people,” said Fitzpatrick, the defending champion. “But, yeah, I’m surprised there’s not been as many people out as I thought this week.”

The ace is the 51st in U.S. Open and third of the week after both Matthieu Pavon and Sam Burns made holes-in-one on the 15th on Thursday.

“As soon as I hit it I thought that it got a good chance of going close anyway. Dead center,” said Fitzpatrick, who signed for an even-par 70. “My hand was a bit sore afterward, I’ll be honest, after all the high fiving.”

[pickup_prop id=”33700″]

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=451201569]

Photos: 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club

Here are some of the best photos from the week in the City of Angels.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=]

The best players in the world have made their way to California for the 123rd playing of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

Just days after the new PGA Tour-PIF agreement was announced, golfers from both sides of the golf world are set to battle on the infamous George Thomas design.

Matt Fitzpatrick, a year after outlasting Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, is the tournament’s defending champion. Last week, the Englishman tied for 20th at the RBC Canadian Open.

As for the betting favorite, that honor goes to world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who currently sits at +600. Masters champion Jon Rahm is next at +900, while PGA winner Brooks Koepka sits at +1200.

Here are some of the best photos this week from the week in the City of Angels where Wyndham Clark came out on top as the champion.

3 sleeper picks to win the 2023 U.S. Open, including Patrick Reed at 80/1

Reed grabbed a top-20 finish at last month’s PGA Championship.

The best players in the world have arrived at Los Angeles Country Club in California for the 2023 U.S. Open, the third men’s major championship of the year.

Matt Fitzpatrick enters the week as the defending champion thanks to his win over Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler at The Country Club outside Boston last season. Fitzpatrick added another win to his resume earlier this year at the RBC Heritage.

World No. 1 Scheffler is the clear betting favorite at +700 followed by Masters champion Jon Rahm at +1100 and PGA winner Brooks Koepka at +1200.

Big names have dominated major championships for the last few seasons, but that doesn’t mean a longshot can’t win in the City of Angels.

Here are three sleeper picks for the 2023 U.S. Open.

More U.S. Open betting: Expert picks, odds

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3413″ ]